What's wrong with my carpet? A little knowledge can avoid a lot of aggravation.

bad seam, good seam

 Have you recently had carpet installed and the seam stands out?  Perhaps there is even a color difference at the seam?  If you can't locate your seams, it probably means you've had a great installation. 

where is the seam?

Fact: the majority of seam related issues are installation related -meaning the installer made a mistake.  Today I'm going to discuss just one reason why your carpet may may not look quite right.  It may look like it is two completely different colors or the seam may be very obvious and you're not sure why.  Oftentimes it is a result of the carpet direction.  Specifically, the direction of the fibers (known as pile direction in the industry).

Carpet fibers naturally lay in one direction. When you brush your foot across the fibers they look like they darken but it is simply the fibers laying another direction and refracting light differently. When you vacuum, you can make your carpet look striped by letting the beater bar turn up the fibers every-other pass.

Vacuum lines

It is because the fibers lay in the same direction that an installer must pay attention to this direction when putting in your carpet. When there are two adjoining rooms or rooms that require seams (the room size is wider than the width of the carpet, the direction of the carpet is paramount.

When carpet is cut to room size and the balance is being used to complete the room or cover an adjoining room or space, noting direction is essential.

If the direction is reversed, the color of the adjoining carpets may look completely different (because of that light refracting thing) and the seam will stand out like a sore thumb.
 

If the direction is turned 45 degrees, not only do you have the fiber direction issue but you also now need to fill on both sides adding two seams that don't need to be there.  When it comes to carpet, the fewer seams, the better.

Below is an example of a proper installation.  The direction is the same, the seam is not visible.

There are times when the carpet is installed correctly and there is a color difference from one side of the seam to the other.  This is a manufacturing defect that I will touch on later.  Now that you know about fiber direction, keep an eye on your carpet install and make sure it lays correctly.

7 ways to make your carpet last longer

Everyone wants to get more for their money -this includes their flooring.  Flooring can be expensive to replace so taking steps to keep it looking its best for as long as possible can be a big money saver.  It will also add to the beauty of the room.    Shawn McCully, owner of Dedicated Cleaning Systems, LLC, has been in the carpet cleaning business since 2007 and knows his stuff when it comes to keeping them looking their best.  Here are 7 great tips for extending the life of your carpet from a true expert.

1. Vacuum...often 


  How often?  There are varying schools of thought on this.  Some say once a week, some say once a week but hit the high-traffic areas twice.  Some say once per week per adult and dog (2 adults, 2 dogs =4 times/week)
The answer: 

• No kids, no pets: once a week.  
• Kids, no pets: twice a week. 
• Pets, no kids, 2-3 times per week. 
• Kids and pets, 3-4 times per week.

2. Check your shoes at the door(s)

Everyone drags in loads of dirt from the outside on their feet.  It is unavoidable.  The best way to stop it; take off your shoes.  There are tons of super cool ways to store you and your guest's shoes.  Check out this pallet shoe rack bench constructed from an old shipping pallet.  Have you visited Etsy.com?  You'll find loads of storage products all hand-made by artisans.  If you have more than one entry, you'll want more than one place to store those shoes.  You may even consider a witty 'take off your shoes at the door' sign. (lots of them on Etsy also)

3. Get a door mat(s)

It may seem like an obvious suggestion, however the type of door mat plays a very important role.  Don't go cheap when it comes to door mats.  The cheap ones will eventually add to the dirt in the house because they only wipe off what's on the surface of your shoes and leave it there for the next person to track in.  Amazon has a decent selection of these. 


A quality door mat is usually made of some type of rubber material, has several layers of looped fibers and can be cleaned using a garden hose.  They 'trap' dirt within the looped fibers rather than leaving it on the surface.
If you're particularly neurotic when it comes to keeping your flooring clean, have two mats per door.  Use the rubber, dirt trapping mat outside and a softer, absorbent mat inside.  The one thing the rubber mat will not remove from your shoes is water so, on a rainy or snowy day, you can wipe the dirt off your shoes outside then wipe the water off inside...the one-two punch.



4. Have your carpets professionally cleaned at least once per year


A professional carpet cleaning using a truck-mounted hot water extraction system every year (sometimes more depending on...kids, pets, etc.) will extend the life and luster of your carpet more than any single suggestion on the list (except for the vacuuming).
Why specifically truck-mounted hot water extraction? Heat and suction! Portable cleaning units don't come close to generating the amount of heat required to get a good cleaning and once that solution has done its work, you need lots of suction to extract the water otherwise your carpets will be wet for days.
Tips: Ask your cleaning professional to pre-spray any stains and apply Scotchguard (or other spray-on protector) after the cleaning.  The cleaning itself will remove the protector that was most likely applied to your carpet at the mill.  Last thing: Make sure they rake the protector into your carpet otherwise it will only cling to the top of the fibers.

Yes, they make such a thing as a carpet rake.

5. Make sure you are vacuuming properly

Vacuuming technique

Yes, there is a right way to vacuum and a wrong way to vacuum and it makes a BIG difference. (Great instructional video below.)
There is a technique to getting up as much dirt as possible when vacuuming.  For each up and back stroke, one should overlap that stroke by about 50% -essentially vacuuming that area twice.  As you move from left to right (or right to left) you would take your first stroke twice then shift away from the edge by about 50% each stroke.

Also, don't be afraid to use the handheld extension.  This is a very important part of vacuuming.  Make sure to get the edges and anywhere a vacuum cannot reach with the extension bar.

Stairs:
Stairs are a different animal altogether.  To properly vacuum your stairs you need to make two passes.  First with the vacuum (if if is light enough to manage) and second with the extension bar.  Just pass over the tread (the flat part of the steps) with the vacuum.  This is important because you want the beater-bars to work up the fibers.  The second pass, use the extension bar and a flat headed attachment if you have one. Vacuum the edges, the riser and the lip of the stairs, then run the attachment over the lip a few times working up these fibers.
Why all the fuss with the stairs?  Stairs are typically the first area of carpet to wear because of the high traffic. (see the nasty stairs photo above if you don't believe me)  The center of a set of stairs fall victim to the most abuse because that's where people walk so extra attention is required.  Running the attachment over the lip several times will lift the fibers and help prevent premature wear.

6. Clean up stains right away

This one is kind of a no-brainer but still needs to be said.  As soon as you see a stain, clean it.  If you don't know how you should clean whatever it is that has stained your carpet, check online or call your local professional.  There are tons of stain removing resources online.  Scotchguard has a handy stain removal guide right HERE. The faster you address a stain, the more likely it is to come out.


7. Booties

If you can't get them to take off their shoes, make them wear booties.  This solution is handy for contractors and other folks who come into your home and aren't used to removing their shoes.  The booties will contain the dirt and keep your carpets looking newer longer.

 



Other suggestions...

These suggestions didn't make the top seven (some for obvious reasons) but or worthy of a mention if only for a chuckle.

• Put booties on your dog
• Send your kids to boarding school
• Send the pets with your kids to boarding school
• Set up an elaborate system of zip-lines so you don't ever have to set foot on your carpet

 And for the future...

Don't buy light carpet.  Regardless of how neurotic you are about keeping it clean IT WILL get dirty faster than a darker color.

Area Rugs and why they all seem to be the same sizes.

I was asked a great question on our Facebook page today.  

'Why do the rugs have to be 5 x 7 or 8 x 10 -- I need a 7 x 9. Do I have to get one custom made?'

Generally, rug manufacturers offer the following sizes:

2.5" x 8' (a hallway runner)
5x7
6x9
8x10
9x12 

Even manufactures in the UK use these sizes as their standard offerings.  

Most rugs come close to these size ranges.  Many are slightly smaller. For example, 5'5"x7'8" rather than 6x9 so it is important to take note of what size you need and confirm the exact size of the rug you're looking to purchase.  


Below is a screen-shot from one of the rug manufacturers we carry in our stores, Masland Carpet & Rugs.   As you can see, the sizes are very close to the industry standard sizes above.  

With regard to the origins of standard sizes, originally, every area rug was a custom, handmade piece of art. The only limiting factor as far as size was concerned was the width of the upper beam on the loom (pictured below).  

Here is a great video of handmade rug manufacturing.

As time went on, rug manufacturing was modernized. Below is a video of a modern rug manufacturing machine.  These things are amazing!

Even in the days when all rugs were handmade, they had size limitations (the width of the loom) and would have to build custom looms to create very wide rugs.  When companies began selling rugs in the United States, they looked at the homes at the time for guidance when it came to creating standard sizes.  Based on my research, the 1970's brought about the now standard size offerings.

When we look at the homes in the 70's it is easy to understand.  Hallways are roughly 3' wide and 8-10' long.  The 2'6"x8' hallway runner was birthed from this notion.

The space between the sofa and the television was roughly 5x7.  A dining room table could fit a 6x9 beneath it.  An 8x10 could fill the standard secondary bedrooms at the time and the 9x12 worked in the master bedroom.

With this in mind, rug manufacturers began designing machinery to mass produce rugs to meet the needs of the common American home.  The times have changed as have the sizes of the typical American homes.  With so much variation in home sizes, it wouldn't be cost effective for non-custom manufactures to build machinery for each and every size a customer can think of. 

The logic in sticking with the standard sizes is 1. they assume the customer can always purchase a size smaller to make it work with the room and 2. it would be very expensive to make changes to the existing machinery.

There is good news, however.  There are manufacturers who will make custom sized area rugs such as Masland Carpets & Rugs. (We love Masland and have many samples and selections in our showrooms.  Their website CICK HERE is well worth a visit.)


In addition to using a custom rug manufacturer, you can also have broadloom (wall-to-wall) carpet cut to size and bound or serged.  If you're looking for something fast, our large selection of carpet remnants can quickly and easily be cut to size and finished with binding or serging.  This opens up the door to a nearly unlimited selection of styles and patterns for a custom area rug.

a rug finished with binding

a rug finished with serging

At Bob Wagner's, we offer both binding and serging and have a large selection of in stock carpet remnants at each of our locations; Downingtown, West Chester and Middletown, DE.  As a Masland dealer, customers are able to come in and select from their product line and create their own work of custom art in nearly any size.  Bob Wagner's also has countless broadloom carpet selections to choose from.  

Bob Wagner's has been in business and family owned since 1975.

Launching an innovative new blog...Fuzzy Side Up

Prepare for launch!

Click for image source information

The official launch day of our Fuzzy Side Up blog is here!

What we're about:

At Bob Wagner's, we are more than just a collection of the area's elite floor covering experts. ( If you're looking for information on what we sell, please visit our website.  You won't find it here.) We are designers, educators, storytellers, innovators, problem solvers and philanthropists. 

Through this blog we plan to take these talents and share them with our readers.

What you will find:

• Great design ideas
• One of a kind educational videos that will take you from product selection to installation and beyond
• Informative posts that delve into all aspects of flooring -from preparing your home for an installation to selection a transition between your new and old floor- and everything between
• New and innovative techniques we have and will implement to give our customers the best quality installations along with the best products
• Tips on how to DIY (do it yourself) minor repairs and installations
• Photo-journals of projects we love
• News about the best part of being a small business in a great community; giving back.

We are very excited to be able to provide our readers with a great source of information and ideas unparalleled in our industry. 

Next up: Hardwood transitions 101: Everything you need to know about selecting a transition between products (or the same product) from a hardwood floor.

A Solomon Caw Media Company publication

This blog will be launching on August 20th

Stay tuned for great content, features, interviews and giveaways!